Colonial Beach council authorizes $2.7 million in ARPA/DEQ funds to complete wastewater projects tied to consent order

The Colonial Beach Town Council voted to authorize staff to allocate $2,700,000 in unrestricted ARPA funds toward remaining DEQ ARPA-eligible wastewater projects that overlap with items in the town’s consent order.

Staff said the town was awarded $5,700,000 in ARPA grant funds in 2022 for infrastructure projects; the town has approximately $2,700,000 in remaining unrestricted funds available to ensure completion of the remaining eligible projects and secure full reimbursement from DEQ. Staff noted the DEQ ARPA projects must be completed by Oct. 2026 to qualify for reimbursement.

Chris/Larson (speaker 17) presented the memorandum and said the request was to move the available funds so solicitations and project work could proceed. He said some projects already have been reimbursed and that moving the unrestricted funds will allow the town to complete remaining work and claim reimbursement.

One council member (speaker 6) said she was uncomfortable approving nearly $2.8 million without more detailed project breakdowns and line-item information; she said she had asked for additional detail and had not yet received it. Staff responded that the project lists and Schedule 1 materials had been previously provided to council and to DEQ, and that further solicitations and project-level documents would be drafted and shared upon approval.

After discussion the council approved the staff recommendation to allocate the funds. The motion passed on roll call; supporters said the move is necessary to meet DEQ reimbursement deadlines and complete consent-order obligations.

Council directed staff to provide the solicitations and project documents to the council as they are prepared.